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Athanasius Kircher's: China Illustrata Athanasius Kircher's China Illustrata ATHANASIUS KIRCHER (I), the compiler of China Monumentis, qua Sacris qua Profanis,... Illustrata..., Amstelodami, I 667, was born in Geisa, near Fulda in Germany, May 2, i602. This fact accounts for the future epithets, " Bucho " (Buchonius, that in the Upper Rhone,-Buchonia,-his birth place), or " Fuldensis" which in later years he habitually used in his titles (after Fulda) (2). KIRCHER entered the Jesuit Order in i6i8, and studied mathe- matics, humanities and oriental languages (Coptic, Hebrew, Syviac) in Fulda, Cologne, and Mainz. From i629 to i63i he lectured at the University of Warzburg on mathematics, from I633 to I635 at Avignon he studied hieroglyphs (3). From France he (I) CARLOS SOMMERVOGEL, S. J., Bibliotheque de la Comipagnie de JeWsus. Nou-velle edition, I0 vols. (Bruxelles-Paris, I890-I909); 5 fascicules Corrections et additions ti la Bibliot~i~que de la Compagnie de Jesus. Supplenent aur De Backer-Sommervogel, par ERNEST M. RIvIERE, S. J., (Toulouse, I9II, 1913, 1914-1917, 1911-1930, 1930). See vol. IV, cols. 1046-1077. Nouvelle biographie gen6rale (Paris, Freres Didot, i855-i866), vol. XXVII, cols. 769-776. Larousse du XXe siecle (Paris, 1928-1933), Vol. IV, p. 249. Der Grosse Herder (Freiburg im Breisgau, 1931-1933), vol. VI, col. 14I6. Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada Enropeo-Aimericana (Barcelona, I926-I930), vol. XXVIII, part II, p. 3454. Der Grosse Brockhaus (Leipzig, 1928- 1935), vol. X, p. 172. Dictionnaire d'archeologie Chretienne et de liturgie (Paris, 1924-), vol. VIII, part I, cols. 772-805. Lexikon ffir Theologie und Kirche (Freiburg im Breisgau, I930-1938), vol. V, col. 1052. The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907-1914), Vol. VIII, pp. 66I-662. The Encyclopaedia Britannica (ed. s4th, Chicago, 1936), V01. XIII, pp. 410-41I. Kirchenlexicon oder Encyclopddie der katolischen Theologie und ihrer Hulfswissenschaften (Freiburg im Breisgau, I882-1903), Vol. VII, cols. 7I6-717. Enciclopedia Italiana (Roma, 1929-1938), v0o. XX, p. 209. Allgemeine deutsche Biographie (Leipzig, I875-1912), vol. XVI (I882), pp. 1-4. Biographie universelle (Michaud) ancienne et moderne (Paris, i842-i865), Vol. XXI, pp. 642-646. (2) E.g. the beginning of the title of Prodromuts Coptus, ed. Romae, I636 Athanasii KircheriFuldensis Buchonii e Soc. lesu prodromus Coptus sive Aegptiacus... (3) In France he became the friend of PIERRE GASSENDI (1592-I655), philosopher and mathematician, proficient in Greek and Hebrew literature. GASSENDI was of the opinion that the Copernican system rested on scientific probabilities and This content downloaded from 201.153.126.105 on Thu, 06 Dec 2018 03:04:05 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 386 B. SZCZESN-IAK /0-4 I_ > ~~~~~~t DWCje_ te~r__ dAW FIG. I. A rare portrait of A. KIRCHER in his 6znd year of age, in China illustrata. KIRCHER saw in Chinese culture and language close affinities in ancient times with Pharaonic Egypt. This content downloaded from 201.153.126.105 on Thu, 06 Dec 2018 03:04:05 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms ATHANASIUS KIRCHER S CHINA ILLUSTRATA 387 went to Rome where he was professor of mathematics at the Collegium Romanum until i634 (4). The rest of his life he devoted to writing. He died in Rome on the z8th November, i68o. During his long sojourn in Rome, KIRCHER met many missionaries depart- ing for or returning from the Far East, usually China. Personal contacts with them and easy access to the central archives of the Jesuits in Rome made possible a vast knowledge of the material and human experience in this esotic world. KIRCHER was a scholar of extraordinary enterprise and in- tellectual ability; a typical savant of the xviith century, he interested himself mainly in the study of science in its various manifestations. During a long, and laborious life he produced many interesting and valuable treatises on various subjects (s), in which he exhibited a remarkable virtuosity. His studies and writings covered practically all fields both in the humanities and the sciences, including optics, music, magnetism, acoustics, arithmetic, astron- omy, astrology, physics, archeology, philosophy, theology, philology and geology, as well as prestidigitation and magic. Despite this diversity, the scholarly character of his work, by seventeenth century standards, was high and he accordingly merits the title of a great polyhistor. A tendency to interest himself in recondite and curious questions led him to the study of orientology and found expression in works on Egyptian hieroglyphs (6) and accordingly refuted all objections against it in the work De rebus coelestibus, c. V, vol. V, Opera omnia. Lyons, i658. KIRCHER also was of the same opinion as P. GASSENDI. Cf. B. SZCZESNIAK, " Notes on the penetration of Copernican theory into China XVII-XIX centuries," The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (London, 1945), PP. 30-38; PASQUALE M. D'ELIA, Galileo in Cina. Relazioni attraverso il Collegio Romano tra Galileo e i gesuiti scienzati missionari in Cina (1I6i0-1640), Roma, (I947), PP. 14, n. 3; 46, n. I. (4) Among KIRCHER's students was GASPARD SCHOTT (i6o8-i666), professor of mathematics at Augsburg, and author of books on physics including optics and acoustics. Cf. C. SOMMERVOGEL, Bibliotheque, vOl. VII, cOl. 903. Another student of KIRCHER was GEORG ADANM STRUVE (I6I9-i692), lawyer, writer, president of the College of Lawyers in Jena. Cf. Allgemeine deutsche Biographie, vol. XXVI (1893), pp. 677-687. (5) For KIRCHER's linguistic interest see G. E. MCCRACKEN, "ATHANASIUS KIRCHER's Universal Polygraphy," Isis, 39, 2I5-228, 1948. A valuable article, but erroneously reports the date of birth: i6oi, instead of i6O2. (6) A. KIRCHER is credited generally as the first modern Egyptologist, though prior to him J. P. VALERIANUS, (1477-1560) wrote Hieroglyphica, seu de sacris Aegyptiorum aliarumque gentium literis commentarii, libris quinquaginta octo digesti; This content downloaded from 201.153.126.105 on Thu, 06 Dec 2018 03:04:05 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 388 B. SZCZESNIAK missionary discoveries in the Far East. It was perhaps this tendency which was chiefly responsible for his writing of China illhstrata. Moreover a new age of Western penetration into China, and the beginnings of a cultural exchange between Europe and the Far East made it impossible to by pass the current of these cultural developements. In the spirit of the time, he undertook a com- prehensive work covering this question, relying for the most part on material collected by others. But the book has a specific value and played a significant role as a source of information on the Far East and China during the second half of xvith century, and even later. China illustrata was first published in Latin in Amsterdam, I667, by JACOBUS VAN MEURS, and also by JOHANNES JANSSONIUS VAN WAESBERGE (7). The two editions are almost identical with the same pagination, illustrations, and contents. JANSSONIus also issued a Dutch translation in i668 by J. H. GLAZEMIAKER (8). A French translation by F. S. DALQUIE (or D'ALQUIE) appeared in 1670 (9), and a partial English translation with illustrations was made by JOHN OGILBY and published in I669, and I673. Of these editions, which are not of a uniform character and contents, we accept the Latin edition of JACOBUS A MEURS, Amsterdam, 1667, as the editio princeps for the references in this paper. The impression of J. A MEURS seems to be the prototype of the printed later in the same year by JOANNES JANSSONIUS. quibuts additi stint duo hieroglvphicortum libri C. A. Curionis... Lugduni, i62i-1626; first edition appeared in 1556 in Basilea. The best edition of it is that prepared by A. KIRCHER and published in Francofurt, i678. (7) Cf. H. CORDIER, Bibliotheca Sinica, vol. 1, cols. 26-27. CORDIER is of the opinion that the edition of JANSSONIUS is ' plus belle " than that of MEURS; a question of judgment. There are no graphical difference between these two editions, or any difference in execution of the point. JANSSONIUS, a scion of a prominent family of Netherland printers and publishers, established his printing workshop in Amsterdam, i651; died i68i. Cf. Katolieke Encyclopaedie, vol. XXIII (Amsterdam, 1938), col. 777. (8) ROBERT CHABRI1 says that there is a Flemish translation, but my search for the edition was not successful. Cf. R. CHABRIE S Op. Cit., p. 179, note I. (9) FRANCOIS SAVINIEN ALQUIt, French man of letters of the second part of xviith century, author of Les Mi'noires do voyage de Ghiron Franfois, marquis de Ville, au Levant, ou l'Histoire do sitige de Candie en 1669 (Amsterdam, i67I), Les ddlices de la France (Amsterdam, I670), and some other ws orks of lesser importance. Cf. Nouvelle biographie universelle, vol. II, col. 215. Biographie universelle (Michaud), vol. I, pp. 532-533. This content downloaded from 201.153.126.105 on Thu, 06 Dec 2018 03:04:05 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms ATHANASIUS KIRCHER S CHINA ILLUSTRATA 389 It is rarer (io) and according to the inscription on the last page was printed " Juxta exemplar Romae, typis Varesii, Superiorum permissu." The Dutch translation, which does not differ in text from the Latin edition, is entitled: Tooneel van China, Door veel, Zo Geestelijke als Werrellijke, Geheugteekenen, Verseheeide Vertoningen van de N~atuur en Kunst, en Blijken van veel andere Gedenkwaerdige dingen, geopent en verheerlykt. Nieuwelijks door d'E. Vader Athanasius Kircherus, Priester der Societeit Jesu, in 't Latyn beschreven, en van Y. H. Glazemaker vertaalt. L'Amsterdam, By JOHANNES JANSSONIUS VAN WEYERSTRAET. In 't Jaar MDCLXVIII; in folio, pp. 286. Because of the language and the small number of copies, this edition, except for Dutch readers, seems unimportant in the study of the Far East.
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